Lord Potter
by acekemp
Summary: Harry Potter didn't grow up on Privet Drive. He grew up in his ancestral home. With help from his trusted staff and friends, how will he go through Hogwarts and the challenges that await him, both inside and out.
1. Chapter 1

Lord Potter

 _Chapter 1: Considerations_

Within the large confines of a country estate in the heartlands of England, the mansion at the heart of the holding stood proudly, shining in the sunshine of an English summer. The golden colour of the stone building looking beautiful, with the glass windows allowing the sunshine in. Upon the highest levels of the building lay the study, where two people where currently making plans and preparations. "What is happening this week Eleanor?" one of the figures asked, reclining in a chair.

"We have several companies sending us status reports this week sir. Your tutor won't be here on Tuesday due to family commitments. And we have a meeting with a staff member from Hogwarts as we requested taking place midday Thursday, in addition to the finalisation of the project you commissioned." The figure in the chair nodded.

"Who is Hogwarts sending? Did they mention it in correspondence?"

"No sir, but I personally think it will be the deputy headmistress coming to meet us." The figure in the chair closed his eyes in thought, before opening them again. "I suppose it will do for now. Remember to make our customary donation to Gringotts for their outstanding investment services, as long as we make a profit. And tell the staff to pay extra attention to the gardens this week."

"Yes sir." Eleanor replied, before walking out of the office. The figure in the chair stood and walked over to the window, overviewing his family estate. "Now Dumbledore, you will finally see how badly your plans for me went wrong."

When Thursday came along, Minerva McGonagall was walking down a long path to the old Potter estate. The last time that McGonagall had been to the estate, James and Lily were moving out, feeling that the cottage in Godric's Hollow was more suited to their own personal style than the large estate. They had however kept the staff on after they had left, so that the estate didn't fall into disrepair after they had gone. McGonagall couldn't help but marvel at the job that the staff had done during the times where there was no-one here. She was stopped in her tracks by the approach of a woman towards her, dressed in a muggle business suit. "Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes?" McGonagall replied unaware of the identity of the woman in front of her. She was too young to have been employed by James and Lily. To McGonagall's eyes, she only looked to be in her late twenties. "Eleanor Bridges, personal assistant to Lord Potter. I have been instructed to show you into the boardroom. Please follow me." Minerva was stunned, she didn't remember a boardroom.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean Ms Bridges. What boardroom are you referring to?"

"Lord Potter has significant investments in companies throughout the world. The boardroom was added so that there was a secure place for him to discuss business arrangements. Please follow me now though. Lord Potter has a tight schedule for today." Bridges then started walking away, leaving McGonagall to hurry behind her to catch up, as they finally entered the Potter mansion.

Inside was a sight to behold for McGonagall. The interior of the building had not lost its splendour nor lost its beauty such was the elegance of the maintained manor. Everything from the marble floor to the domed ceiling made the entrance hall feel like a medieval cathedral. McGonagall continued to follow the PA up the flights of stairs opposite the doors, the walls alongside the stairs lined with the muggle portraits of past Potters, including one of James Potter in his ceremonial robes just after he had graduated from Hogwarts. There was no portrait of Lily though. As the duo walked down a long corridor after climbing the final flight of stairs to the third floor, Minerva asked about the lack of a portrait for Lily. "The last Lady Potter unfortunately did not have a portrait commissioned and as such was unable to be depicted. But steps have been taken to rectify this matter." The way that her question was handled by the PA was a bit too blunt for McGonagall's liking, however before she could comment on it, she saw the PA stop in front of a set of Double Doors. "Please wait here, I'll see if Lord Potter is ready to see you." After that, she knocked twice on the doors, before entering the room. McGonagall could hear slight murmuring of talking before the door shut on her, leaving McGonagall to wonder what was currently more important than Harry Potter's schooling.

"The details you provided were very helpful Lord Potter, I trust it is to your satisfaction?" The unknown man asked, unveiling a picture hidden underneath a sheet. Harry looked at it for a few seconds, before a small smile crept on his face. "I am extremely satisfied with it Mr Lingard. It's almost as if she were here now." As Mr Lingard was about to say something, Eleanor walked up to Harry and whispered in his ear. "Sir, the professor from Hogwarts is waiting outside the door." Harry nodded, and looked back to Lingard. "Unfortunately I have another appointment, but I am very happy with the painting Mr Lingard. Your fee will be in your account before midday tomorrow." Both Harry and Mr Lingard stood at this. "Not a problem Lord Potter. A pleasure working with you." They shook hands, before Mr Lingard left the room, closing the door behind him. "Before the professor enters Eleanor, what do you think of the painting?" He pointed to the painting that was currently against the wall. "It looks very lifelike sir. He has done a good job on it." Harry nodded.

"I thought so too. Alright, cover up the painting and send the professor in. And I'd like you to sit in on this meeting." Eleanor nodded; she moved to cover up the painting in the sheet the artist had left behind, before she went to collect the professor from outside the door. A few moments passed before they entered, and Harry looked at the professor. A flicker of amusement went through his eyes at the sight of the bright green robes and the hat, but it was hidden quickly by a curious look that Harry decided would be effective. Eleanor followed shortly after McGonagall, shutting the door behind her and making her way to the large conference table. After all three were seated, Harry looked at McGonagall. "Welcome professor. Let's talk about schooling."

Two hours later found McGonagall finishing all the questions that Harry had to ask. After initially being admonished for not using the right address, she had relented and addressed him as Lord Potter. She had answered questions on the lessons, and even the history of Hogwarts itself. Finally, she managed to hand over the list of equipment that he would need that had not been included within the letter of admission to Hogwarts. She gave it over to the PA, who frowned at the list before leaning over to whisper to Harry. He also frowned at the whisper, and she handed the list to him. He looked up at McGonagall. "Professor, there must be a mistake in your list. Surely these are the minimum standard of things for attending Hogwarts." McGonagall looked at Harry surprised at the tone, which was incredulous at having to buy such things. "May I ask what items you are referring to Lord Potter?"

"Specifically the clothing. I do not wish to appear as simply another student. I want mine to be custom made in acromantula silk as all my current ones are, and to have a golden trim." McGonagall couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Lord Potter, I'm afraid the rules are the rules. I cannot make exceptions for one student."

"Then I will go elsewhere professor. Seeing as it is you who contacted me, it seems that you want me at your school. I'm sure that there are plenty of others that are willing to have me, and will give me a lot more than a minor adjustment to my robes." McGonagall looked at Harry in disbelief.

"But you can't not go to Hogwarts. Every Potter has gone to Hogwarts."

"Traditions have to end somewhere professor." McGonagall looked at him again.

"I suppose it is a relatively small request. Very well, you may have the robes." Harry smiled.

"Excellent." He frowned for a moment. "Actually, there is one other thing professor. I need my PA with me when I go. I trust that won't be a problem either." He stood, prompting Eleanor and McGonagall to do the same. Remembering the threat of non-attendance, McGonagall gave a thin smile. "I will arrange it with the Headmaster." They shook hands.

"Then I look forward to joining your institution professor."

After McGonagall had left Eleanor found Harry within his study once more. "Surely she could see that you weren't going to pull out over custom robes sir." She said, having brought him a drink of orange juice. "You would think so, but I sense a greater game afoot. If someone was worried over me pulling out over such a small thing, then giving me something even bigger than that was even more important."  
"So she allowed me to accompany you to Hogwarts." Harry nodded.

"It makes me wonder why they are so desperate to have me if they fold at the first sign of me not coming to Hogwarts. I sense a trap of some sort."  
"What do we do then?" Harry put down the glass, and faced her.

"Spring the trap. Send an owl to Gringotts, both with the artist's fee and to have some money ready for me when we go to the alley tomorrow."

"Yes sir. Anything else for today?"

"Not for today Eleanor. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"You mean that we are already giving concessions to that brat?" Snape asked incredulously. Three people were currently within the Headmaster's office. Snape and Dumbledore were listening to McGonagall speak about her talks with Harry Potter. "He was threatening to withdraw over something so minor. I had to give him that, and allow his PA to come too." Dumbledore stood, walking over to the objects that were currently on his bookcase. "The important thing is that he is coming to Hogwarts. He will be safe here, as will the stone." Snape scoffed at that, and Dumbledore turned to face him. "Still not liking the idea Severus?"

"No Albus. The defences you want for the stone could be broken by any competent first year, apart from the first one, which is just deadly to have in a school."

"Voldemort has made repeated attempts to steal it from Nicholas in spirit form already Severus. In such a state, he will be unable to make it past Fluffy. And as for the others, he does not possess the ability to cast the spells necessary to pass them. The stone is safe, and Harry will be too." Snape and McGonagall left the office, leaving Dumbledore to himself. Voldemort would not dare to attack the castle in his current form. It was possibly the only place he would not dare to assault. That is why he had informed McGonagall that he had to come here at all costs. It was the only place that Harry Potter would be completely safe from the threat of Voldemort. It was Hogwarts where Dumbledore could do what he always wanted to do. Protect the child of prophecy until he was strong enough to end the former dark lord. For the greater good.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: The Alley_

Harry Potter stood with his PA had the entrance to Diagon Alley, with Tom leaving them to it after opening the doorway which led to the main shopping centre of British magical society. He throngs of people that were currently taking up almost all of the walking room, meaning that the street was a constantly flowing river of people moving in multiple directions. Harry looked to Eleanor, who sighed at seeing the large crowds. "Is it usually this bad when it gets this close to the start of term?" Harry asked her, receiving a quick nod in response.

"Yes sir. That's why when you asked me to make appointments with Gringotts; I try to make it either in spring or autumn. Unfortunately, it will be like this for the next month or so." Harry looked away, satisfied with the answer that she had given him. "First off, we need to collect the money I reserved from Gringotts yesterday."

"Yes sir, they also requested a meeting with you about your accounts. I told them you could fit it in today."

"I suppose I can fit it in today, it shouldn't take too long. Let's head on down though, goblins don't like being kept waiting." At that, both Harry and Eleanor started making their way slowly down the Alley, carefully moving past rushing shoppers. Remarkably, no one noticed the young Potter as they made their way through the crowds, presumably as they were too caught up in their own shopping to realise that the so-called Boy-Who-Lived was amongst them. Though of course, not being mobbed certainly helped them save a lot of time.

When they eventually reached the doors at Gringotts, the two wasted no time in entering quickly. They didn't have much time before they were late, and the goblins were big on efficiency. When they finally entered Gringotts, the goblins were busy working the tills serving witches and wizards in various attire. The moved carefully through them, until they came to a till, with a plaque on it that stated it was the till of Bonebreaker. "Lord Harry Potter, here to review his accounts." Eleanor said, in a polite but firm voice. The goblin looked up from his work, glancing at both of them quickly. "Of course Lord Potter, this way please." With that, the goblin left his till and led them towards a door near the back of the bank. Opening it, Bonebreaker ushered them inside the room, which they discovered was merely a meeting room like any other. There was merely a desk and three chairs within the room. The desk itself had a large file on it, which meant that the goblins were well-prepared for this meeting. "Please have a seat Lord Potter." Bonebreaker offered, to which Harry decided to take the seat that was being offered. Bonebreaker shut the door, and made his own way over to the desk. "Now then Lord Potter, we shall go over your financial earnings. You've made a very healthy profit so far, which is good for both of us. Gringotts would like to thank you for your continued confidence in our investment services." He looked to Harry, who simply nodded at him. "You are currently projected to make a profit of ten million galleons thirteen sickles and ten knuts before tax considerations. This includes all foreseeable spending which has been taken into account. It is not believed that taxes will reduce this number by a considerable amount. As a valued customer, we will work to reduce the penalties on your money to the legal minimum." Bonebreaker then looked directly towards Eleanor. "However Lord Potter, the main reason we asked for this meeting today is to discuss the contract of Ms Bridges. Would you like to renew the contract that you have with her, or is there a replacement that you were considering?" He asked bluntly, and Harry turned to look at Eleanor. It was only through his five years of knowing her that he could tell she was nervous. "Bonebreaker, I am most satisfied with her services. I will indeed be renewing the contract." Bonebreaker nodded.

"I will contact the relevant department to handle the drafting of a renewed contract on the same terms Lord Potter."

"I would also like to ask for something from Gringotts, for a reasonable fee of course." Harry said, and Bonebreaker gave a toothy smile. "What service can Gringotts provide Lord Potter?"

"I would like to request for you to find me a tutor for magic to begin in December." Harry said, knowing that the goblins would understand that he wanted to keep learning magic during the Hogwarts breaks. "Very well, we shall begin identifying individuals interested in such an offer. This concludes our business." All three of them stood. "Your money is awaiting you at my till Lord Potter."

"Thank you Bonebreaker. Good day." And with that, Harry and Eleanor walked out of the room, their business at Gringotts complete.

After they had picked up the galleons that had been requested, they found themselves back in Diagon Alley. The crowds outside had not dissipated one bit, not that it was expected that they would. "Where to now sir?" Eleanor asked Harry.

"Wherever we go is going to take a while. We'll go to Ollivander's, then Twillfitt and Tattings. We'll go for books last; I may take some time in there." Harry mused. The last time he had been for books, he meant to get one and came out with nine. He didn't see that as a bad thing. The books had seemed relatively interesting. Once again, they started to fight their way up towards Ollivander's wand shop, having to fight through several groups of people, including a loud and rude family of redheads who had stopped in the middle of the alley to admire the brooms. Though it was clear to Harry just by looking at what they were wearing that they couldn't actually afford anything worthwhile that was in the shop. Nevertheless they finally managed to make it to Ollivander's, where Harry pushed the door open to find the shop empty. As Eleanor entered, she stayed by the door so that anyone else would find it difficult to enter the shop after them.

Out of nowhere, Ollivander appeared behind the counter. "We finally meet Lord Potter. I admit to be excited for this particular encounter." He walked around the counter, to stand directly in front of Harry. "Mr Ollivander, I am here" Harry started, but was interrupted by Ollivander.

"To claim a wand of course. But what you must understand is that the wand chooses the wizard." He turned around to examine the wand boxes on the wall. Harry turned to Eleanor. "This could take a while. I want you to order my clothes to the estate, and then collect the books." He handed her the money. "Yes sir." She said before leaving the dusty shop. Harry turned back to see Ollivander holding a wand to him. "Yew and unicorn hair, fourteen inches." Harry took the wand, and gave it a wave. The flowerpot which had been sitting inconspicuously on the desk flew through the air towards the door, forcing Harry to dodge as it smashed behind him. Ollivander smiled. "So the search begins." They did this with three more wands, with each one causing more damage within the shop. The first, a spruce and unicorn hair wand ended up removing half of the other wands from their respective boxes. Having now decided that unicorn hair was not suited for him, Ollivander handed him a holly and phoenix feather wand. As soon as Harry had touched it, the box from which it had been pulled burst into flames, causing Ollivander to summon some water to put it out. On the third wand they finally made some progress, according to Ollivander. Although a mirror on the wall had been smashed by the wand, Ollivander had nodded. "At least we now know the correct core." During the testing of the next two wands, both of which had contained dragon heartstring, Eleanor had returned to the shop, books from the store being carried within a bag. Finally, Ollivander had offered Harry yet another wand. "Red Oak and dragon heartstring, eleven inches." Ollivander had told Harry. Upon Harry grasping the wand tightly in his hand, sparks flew from the tip. A warm breeze filled the shop, causing the hair of the three current occupants to move slightly. "There we go. As I said, the wand chooses the wizard." Harry nodded to Ollivander, relishing the feel of his magic as it continued to react to his newly acquired wand. They moved over to the counter, where Harry handed over his seven galleons. "Thank you Lord Potter. I expect great things from you." Harry looked at Ollivander one last time. "Mr Ollivander, I expect great things from me." He stated, before finally exiting the shop, Eleanor in tow behind him.

Outside the shop, the alley had finally begun to thin out. "Did you manage to get everything?" Harry asked Eleanor.

"I managed to get the books, but whilst buying your robes, I was refused service. Apparently if I was buying for you she was the Minister for Magic." Harry frowned.

"Well then, I suppose that we better pay the Minister a visit." Harry said, and they headed down the now easy to navigate alley. Coming quickly to Twillfitt and Tattings, Eleanor opened the door for Harry. He stepped inside to see the shop assistant currently serving a blonde-haired woman along with what he assumed was her son. The rest of the store was empty, both of most stock and customers. Clearly it had been a busy day for this particular place. There was a second shop assistant who was clearly getting ready to leave, when she saw Eleanor by the door. She strolled over to her, completely blanking Harry in front of her. "I told you that you are not allowed to shop here, why are you back?" She asked. Harry cleared his throat and she turned towards him looking as if she was about to tell him off. That was when she saw the scar on his forehead. "Mr Potter, I didn't"

"Lord Potter to you. I don't like it when you insult my employees of lying. It reflects badly on me." He frowned slightly, appearing to be in thought. "In fact, it's almost as if you were calling me a liar." The shop assistant looked at him, a growing discomfort showing in her expression. "In fact, I may need to contact the shop owner and tell them about the poor service."

"That won't be necessary Lord Potter. My most sincere apologies. What did you need for today? I can offer half-price." She said, and Harry smiled.

"That's better. Here's what I'm looking for."

At Malfoy Manor, Draco had just gone to bed. Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were within the drawing room. Both were currently reading, though on very different subjects indeed. That was when Narcissa brought up her visit to the alley. "Clothes shopping was more interesting than it usually is." She remarked.

"M-hm." Lucius hummed, not even looking up from his book.

"Harry Potter was there." She remarked. Lucius then put his book down and looked at her.

"You jest surely."

"Nope, got into an argument with the new girl about her poor service she had given to his servant." Lucius looked intrigued. "To what end?"

"Well apparently she had refused to sell his servant the robes that she had ordered for him. He got half-price in exchange for not getting her fired. That's all." Narcissa finished, before continuing to read her own book. Lucius was thinking though. "Why get so annoyed at something so small. Do you think he may not be as we previously believed?" Lucius asked.

"M-hm." Narcissa hummed. Lucius looked at her, then sighed and went back to his book. He may need to organise an accidental meeting. Perhaps at the platform before the train left.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Going to Hogwarts_

On the first day of September, the Potter estate was a lot busier than it had been for the last month or so. This was because of the current owner preparing to leave for the rest of the year. Although he was ready, he had decided that he hadn't brought enough stuff. So he had been going around making sure that he definitely packed everything that he wanted to bring, that to an untrained and unfamiliar eye would seem to include almost a quarter of the Potter library. It was in the library at ten o'clock that Eleanor found Harry making yet another search through the shelves. "Sir, please calm down. You can't bring every book that you own within the library sir." Harry placed a book back which he had just picked up, then turned to look at her. "I know, just not sure what to take with me to begin with it all." Eleanor smiled.

"It will be here when you get back sir, and if you can't wait until then I can always come and collect it." Harry nodded, and then walked out of the library. Eleanor started walking with him as he went past her, and soon they had fallen into step with each other. "Alright then, let's make sure we have everything. Clothes?" Harry asked, and Eleanor looked at the list.

"New robes, casual clothing, ceremonial clothing are all packed."

"Books?"  
"School books and selected reading materials, muggle and magical."  
"Basics?"

"Of course we have that sir. I'd be out of a job if I hadn't packed that stuff." Harry gave a small laugh.

"What about the business stuff?"

"I've set up an owl delivery with Gringotts. Everything will go to them the muggle way, and then they'll send it to you at Hogwarts."

"Excellent. I think that makes us ready to proceed. Time to take the portkey." The duo walked out of the grounds, Harry picking up his bag as he went by and passing it to Eleanor. Eleanor pulled out the portkey, and it activated, sending them halfway across the country, to platform nine and three quarters.

Stepping out of the portkey arrivals chamber, Harry was initially shocked by the number of children and parents who were currently bustling around the station platform, before realising that this was fairly minor and nothing like what it would be in half an hour's time when parents started arriving in their droves. Deciding that he would rather have a choice of seating, rather than having to necessarily share with someone who may not be the most respectable person on the train, Harry moved immediately towards the doors of the train, and stepped on board. He was looking forward to Hogwarts. Who knew how much magic he was finally going to be able to learn, including with his new private holiday tutor. There would only be one problem with what Harry could see at the moment, and that was only likely if Dumbledore seemed to be insistent on either interfering, or keeping his property. He had been told by Gringotts that attempts to recover a cloak belonging to his father had been either rebuffed or ignored by Dumbledore. He intended to fix that as soon as he could, even if it meant going to the Headmaster's office on the first day. He would go today if he could, but figured that it would be impractical given the rumours he had heard about the length of the journey to Hogwarts.

The station had indeed gotten busier as Harry sat in the carriage with Eleanor, who was silently looking through some business papers that apparently needed to be looked through. Harry was currently busy reading Newt Scamander's book, and finding it very interesting, when the train started to move. When it did, Harry didn't even look up, so engrossed was he in reading about Newt Scamander's work. It was a first edition as well, an original copy from 1927 when it was first published. It was a few minutes after the train started to move that the door to Harry's compartment opened, and a voice spoke out from. "Excuse me, but may I sit within this compartment?" It asked, and Harry looked up to see a blond boy standing at the door.

"Since you asked politely, please feel free." Harry replied, and the boy nodded. He entered fully, and closed the behind him, before placing his luggage on the rack above them and sitting down next to Eleanor, who had remained silent during the encounter. "Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy family." He said, extending his hand towards Harry, who gladly took it. "Lord Harry Potter."

Draco was initially shocked to find out that he had just chosen the compartment with Harry Potter of all people, and he was sure that the shock was showing on his face. He had heard the title that he had put before it however, and so the years of proper etiquette lessons with his mother came in handy as the shock quickly removed itself from his face and managed to replace it with the famed 'pureblood mask'. "Wonderful to meet you Lord Potter." Now that he knew who the boy was, there was no need to ask who the woman next to him was. It wasn't uncommon for younger lords to hire someone to help them out with their lordly duties. Their job in polite company was simply to do their job and stay silent unless specifically asked a question. "What house do you expect to be sorted into?" Potter asked him, and he smirked.

"Slytherin of course. My family has always been in Slytherin. Which do you expect to reach?" Potter seemed to think about the question. "I would say Ravenclaw. Eleanor always says I'm a bit too fond of my books."

"That's because you tried to pack half the library into your luggage sir." Eleanor said, and Potter laughed. "It would have fit in if you gave me more time." Malfoy was somewhat surprised by the relative informality, but reckoned that it was more of a matter for Potter instead of him, so he stayed away from mentioning it. He stood up and opened his luggage on the rack, extracting from it his copy of Magical Drafts and Potions before sitting down again. "Potions your favourite subject?" Draco looked up at Potter at the question. "Yes. I take it that magical creatures is your interest?"

"Only in theory. I'm not that hands on, but Scamander really does make very interesting points. I prefer Defence."

From that point both Harry and Draco were distracted from their reading by having a debate on the pros and cons of Newt Scamander's famed work when the compartment door was opened for the second time that journey. "Can I sit here? All the other ones are full." Both Harry and Draco looked at the newcomer incredulously. "Are you suggesting that you've been wandering the train for hours without sitting down anywhere?" Harry said, and Draco looked at him.

"He's a Weasley, the majority of them aren't all there in the head." The boy got angry with that, but before he could say anything, he was pushed out of the way by a bushy-haired girl. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." Harry looked at Draco exasperated.

"Everyone has forgotten about manners it seems Heir Malfoy." A smirk came up on Draco's face.

"Indeed Lord Potter, especially the muggleborn students. No-one has any respect these days." However, the girl's look was completely fixed on Harry. "Oh wow, you're Harry Potter. I've read so much about you." She was stopped by Harry standing up and walking to the door.

"All false I assure you, and its Lord Potter, in both magical and muggle worlds thank you. In response to your original question, there has been no toad through here. You're better off looking in dark, quiet places. I hope that is all." Harry said, pointedly looking at her. She quietened, and nodded before heading off, and Harry closed the compartment door. "I thought she was never going to leave. Mudbloods are no end of trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later, because we were in the middle of an important discussion. The Hungarian horntail is the best dragon."  
"No it isn't. The Antipodean Opal-Eye tops it simply because it looks better."

Another few hours later, they finally managed to come to an agreement on the subject. That the Chinese Fireball was fairly harmless compared to the others. As they headed off the train, Draco annoyed at the superior quality of Harry's robes, Eleanor stayed behind to make sure their stuff made it to the castle untampered. Harry didn't trust the staff yet. He hadn't even met them yet. As they arrived at the boats, guided by what seemed to be a half-giant, they were joined by two more people in their boat, who introduced themselves as Heiress Daphne Greengrass and Heiress Susan Bones. As they all introduced themselves, they were distracted from it as they saw the castle come into sight around the cliffs. It was a beautiful sight, the castle seemingly shining against the dark sky. The boats finally arrived at the castle, and there to meet theme was professor McGonagall. "Welcome students. You will now follow me to the great hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." The last of the houses was said with disdain, and Harry leaned over to Draco. "Well, at least bias has absolutely no place here." Draco stifled a laugh as McGonagall looked over at them, and led them into the great hall.

"It's a singing hat." Harry said, and Draco looked confused.

"That doesn't make sense. Just as mental as the headmaster I suppose." Harry nodded.

"Still, it could be worse. That Weasley boy thought we would fight a troll."

"The idiot." Draco whispered as he was called up, and promptly sorted in Slytherin. Harry clapped politely for his friend, as he had for Daphne when she got into Slytherin, and for Susan when she was sorted into Hufflepuff. He waited patiently for his name to be called. Finally he heard "Potter, Harry" He rolled his eyes at the forgetting of his title, but decided to let it slide this time around. He walked towards the stool. Upon reaching it he turned around, threw the back part of his robes out the way as he sat down, the robes streaming over the back of the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat upon his head. Everyone sat silently, only the odd whisper being said between friends as the sorting of Harry Potter took place. And finally, the hat made its decision. "Ravenclaw!"

The sorting of Harry Potter into Ravenclaw was not something that had been expected. He had not formulated it into his plans, neither for the stone, nor for any events that may occur afterwards. He had hoped that Harry Potter would head to Gryffindor. There he would have been more predictable. But he could work with Harry Potter in Ravenclaw. It didn't change anything in the bigger picture. At that moment he decided to proceed with the original plan. After all, he was the greatest wizard of all time. Even now he was fooling Dumbledore with one of his worse pieces of acting. No-one, especially not Harry Potter, could defeat Lord Voldemort.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: First Lessons_

After the feast had finished Harry hadn't had the chance to say goodnight to people he had just met. With the four of them being in different houses it had introduced a problem for them. But they would find a way around the house divide. Even though they had only just met on the train and boat ride to Hogwarts, Harry had a feeling that they weren't going to separate any time soon. It was the next morning when they finally did get the chance to speak. Eleanor had made sure that he was all set for the day the previous night, including making up such methods as to wake him up at six am as he usually did back at the manor. The initial thought of having to share a room was not a problem for the newest Ravenclaw, where they all had their own rooms. According to the older Ravenclaws, they were separate because if you had an extremely loud snoring partner, it was not conducive to learning well. But getting up at six introduced its own problems, namely that there was no one else in the Great Hall when he arrived. Eleanor had giving him his morning briefing, including simply telling him that he would be getting his timetable today, before telling him that she had been told to eat at the staff table. He nodded, and she handed over his copy of Fantastic Beasts, something that was quickly becoming his favourite book. She moved up to the staff table, and Harry began to place some food on his plate, himself wondering when other people would arrive.

It was an hour, another two chapters, and a full breakfast later that other people started to slowly enter the great hall. They were mostly Ravenclaws, but Harry saw a few Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, and even a Gryffindor or two. He finally saw Draco and Daphne, who were looking at the Ravenclaw table. Upon them seeing him, Harry waved them over, and they accepted his rather informal invitation. "Lord Potter." They both said as they approached.

"Heir Malfoy, Heir Greengrass. Have a seat." They sat down and at that point the formality seemed to die away from their conversation. "When do we get our classes?" Harry asked.

"Probably near the end of breakfast." Draco said, starting to fill up his plate.

"Let's hope that we don't get stuck with Gryffindor for any of them. I've heard that they're awful in class." Daphne remarked, seemingly uninterested in the food on the table.

"You shouldn't come to any conclusions yet heir Greengrass; we've yet to see them for ourselves." Harry said, pointing out the near-empty Gryffindor table. A voice suddenly asked interjected itself from above them. "May I be seated Lord Potter?" Looking up, the three found the last member of their boat asking to sit, having finally arrived for breakfast. "Of course you may heir Bones." She smiled and sat opposite the three of them, moving food onto her plate. She looked at Harry with confusion, as he was the only one without food. "Are you not hungry?" She asked.

"I've been here since about six. Seemed like a good time to get the best food." Harry said. Susan nodded and went back to placing food on her plate.

The conversation went back and forth between the four first years. Some members of every house looked at the four with confusion, but quickly decided to focus on their own groups rather than that of the boy-who-lived. At about twenty past eight there was a sudden influx of noise that was separate from slowly growing noise that had been building from a steady trickling of students and teachers into the great hall. This was the arrival of the first-year Gryffindors, who seemed to think that everyone else had to hear their conversations whether they wanted to or not. But the four had a new problem which loomed over them. For a moment, it was looming over them literally. It was during a conversation between them about how the classes supposedly worked when someone walked up behind them. "Mr Potter. Our new celebrity." The person said very slowly, and Harry turned around to see a tallish man in a black robe. "Already deciding that you and your friends are above the rules. You have your father's arrogance." He turned his gaze to the three non-Ravenclaws that were currently sitting with him. "Back to your tables now." But before they moved, Harry started to speak.

"Professor, do you have a problem with me? I hardly know you and you're already deciding that I'm arrogant." He said, before purposefully sticking his nose in the air. But before Snape could say another word to Harry, Eleanor arrived at the table. She had seen the professor moving to the table, but assumed it was nothing. It was normal for teachers to go and speak to their students. However, once he stopped besides Harry, she knew something was happening. It was even more so once she saw Harry narrow his eyes at Snape. A scene was starting to build and she decided to put an end to it before it started to spill over. "Professor, is there a problem?" Snape turned to face her, and sneered. "The problem is that Mr Potter has decided that he is better than everyone else by thinking that he and his friends can break the rules by sitting together." Eleanor frowned at him. "To begin with, you should address him as Lord Potter unless told otherwise. Secondly professor, there is no rule saying that you have to sit at your house tables, unless you mean the rule that says they must sit at their tables on the first and last feasts of the school year. This is not the first, nor the last day of school. You have no basis for this." The whole school at this point was watching this altercation. Snape glared at her, before handing timetables to Draco and Daphne. He then turned, and stalked back over to the teacher's table. A voice then shouted out "Snape just got his arse kicked." Snape then shouted before sitting down.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Despite this, the whole great hall laughed. Snape ended up splitting his glare between Eleanor and Harry for the rest of breakfast.

The first lessons that Harry had on that day had bored him if he was telling the truth. Transfiguration had started off with Professor McGonagall turning from a cat into herself, but then simply turned into a theory lesson. At least in charms, Flitwick had explained that the theory was important before they started with any spells, but didn't show off any advanced skills. As the week went by Harry and his friends were very underwhelmed with the lessons, especially with the defence classes and Quirrell. It was one of the few classes that Ravenclaw had with Slytherin, so Harry, Draco, and Daphne managed to sit together and talked the entire lesson. Their conversation was hidden by the constant stuttering that came from Quirrell. But the most interesting lesson for Harry that week had been potions with Hufflepuff. He had sat next to Susan, and had been talking very nicely with her about the qualities of a bezoar when Snape stormed into the classroom. "There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He turned and looked over the students. "As such, I do not believe that many of you will grasp the subtle science that it potion making however," He paused as he surveyed random students. "For those of you with the correct predisposition. I can teach you to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. Brew fame, bottle glory and even to put a stopper in death." Finally, Snape's eyes fell upon Harry. "Mr Potter. Try not to let your fame get in the way of other people's learning." Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "Here are your instructions. You may begin." He threw the instructions on the blackboard and they all moved to collect the ingredients for it. Harry and Susan working next to each other were both double checking each other's potions as they went along. But as Snape passed by near the end of the class, he sneered at the potion. "You got lucky this time Potter." He looked at the clock. Bottle and place your potions on my desk. Dismissed."

The four met up in the library at the end of the week. "I'm certain that Snape has something against me." Harry said. The others couldn't help but agree with him, who had all been present in the great hall. "Where's your PA, she could find out something." Draco asked, and Harry shrugged.

"Business meetings representing my interests. Bigger profits are always important. When she gets backed I'll ask her to do some research."

"Why don't we do some now? He keeps mentioning your father, maybe they were in the same year." Susan said. "She's right. It's a good place to start to find out something." Harry looked at them, and then smiled.

"Alright then. Let's get to work. Right after I finish this essay." The other three groaned, and Harry glared at them before they all returned to working on their essay.

In the headmaster's office, the four heads of house were meeting about their students, with Dumbledore chairing as he always did. "How are the first years getting on so far?" McGonagall started off.

"My new Gryffindors are just as boisterous as my older years already. But at least there won't be another situation of the Weasley twins. I don't feel we could have another set of them."

"At least we agree on that Minerva." Snape said, and the other heads nodded. "But my first years have been fine as well Dumbledore, I'm sure all of them have. Ask the question you really want to ask." Dumbledore looked at him, and sighed.

"Very well, how is Mr Potter doing?" He looked at Flitwick.

"He's excelling at his work. And he's been able to forge connections beyond house lines. The Bones heir from Hufflepuff and the heirs of Malfoy and Greengrass. They could be very good influences on each other."

"But he hasn't made any connection with Gryffindors. Maybe he needs a guiding hand to make the right friends Dumbledore." McGonagall looked at Dumbledore.

"No Minerva. Harry needs to make his own choices. He's doing well enough."

"The boy is arrogant Albus. He needs to be taught that he doesn't control this school."

"Severus, his PA merely reminded you of the rules and I gather he made a near-perfect potion in your class." Flitwick said.

"He had Bones helping him; he won't do so well next time."

"Severus you need to let your hatred of James Potter go. Harry is not his father, just as you are not yours." Severus glared at Dumbledore.

"On a different point, I've finished my defence for the stone."

"Good, I'll move mine in at Christmas. There has been no sign yet of Voldemort being present within the school, but I recommend we keep our eyes open. I believe we will have a visit from him soon. You may go." The heads of houses filed out of the office, leaving Dumbledore alone. He moved over to his window. He had been surprised that Voldemort had not yet made his move against the castle. "What are you planning Tom?" He asked himself, and Fawkes trilled in the background. Whatever Tom Riddle was planning, the outcome would not be good.


End file.
